Skills transfer being expedited to bolster agricultural production
– Minister Persaud
AGRICULTURE Minister Robert Persaud has assured that efforts will be made to expedite the process of facilitating skills transfer, by bringing in experts to bolster advances in the sector.
He made the disclosure during a meeting, last Thursday, with the recently accredited Indonesian Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Mur  Syahrir Rahardjo.

The envoy said, in particular, an expert is expected here to assist in the cultivation of the rambutan, a native fruit of Indonesia.

Mr. Persaud said progress has been achieved locally with the introduction of it between the last two and three years.

Currently rambutan is found in Canals Polder in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara) and on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/ Berbice).

“It is a new fruit to Guyana and local consumption is low but there is tremendous export value,” Persaud said.

He added that, with technical support from Indonesia, cultivation can be expanded and local producers can be assisted particularly with post harvest activities.

Ambassador Rahardjo, when he presented his Letters of Credence to President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President last week, said that he will be seeking to advance relations between the two nations.
The Ambassador, who is stationed in Suriname, said, “I will do my best to enhance the relationship between Guyana and Indonesia. The [areas] of priority are trade and [cultural] cooperation and also agriculture.
“We are planning to send our expert especially on developing rambutan (a fruit found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) cultivation and also we are going to cooperate on mangroves; and next year I am planning to send more cultural missions to Guyana,” he said. He said that the persons will be coming early next year.

Guyanese agriculture has, over the years, benefitted from technical support from other countries, including Canada, Colombia, United States (U.S.), India, Cuba, China and Japan, as well as from Caribbean nations.

In an invited comment, Director of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth, said past technical support from partners has left its mark, expressly in the area of export.

He said, with that technical assistance, there have been improvements in the quality of produce, regularity of supply, needed to meet market demands, developing value added components and attraction for export markets.

“Once there is the skills transfer in the technical area we need, our local capacity is improved and the execution of projects is done in a more sustainable way,” Homenauth said.
He cited the project that focuses on cultivation of spices and said the Coordinator, Mr. Rayna Sukhna is able to carry on with help from technical experts.

“He is about 70 per cent able and there is room for additional training but our local people are capable of executing projects once the support is there,” Homenauth said about Sukhna.

Homenauth added that, in other cases, support from technical experts result in an increase in the scale of production of products that have not been given much focus.

He explained that, for example, with coconuts, there are markets but not the supply to meet demands.

Homenauth disclosed that an expert from India, Dr. Chandrashekar Reddy is assisting in advancing its growing on a much larger scale.

He said it is all in an effort to advance the agriculture sector’s current trajectory and make a significant contribution to national development.